Brunswick County Building Permits Soar In December

The numbers of residential and commercial permits in Brunswick County each increased by more than 100 percent in December 2018 from the same month in 2017, according to a recent report published by the county’s building inspections department.

The December data, released by the county Thursday, is part of a series of new permit reports issued by the county since late last year, according to Amanda Hutcheson, public information officer for Brunswick County.

The county changed the format of its permit reports toward the end of 2018, starting with data from September, said Hutcheson.

The change gives a more comprehensive picture of the permitting and development going on in the county with month-to-month and yearly comparisons, she said. The new reporting system also includes more information from municipalities within the county that do their own permitting.

There were 217 residential permits issued countywide in December, an increase of 141 percent from the 90 issued that same month in 2017, according to the report. The value of new residential construction was nearly $55 million in December, compared to $32.6 million in December 2017.

The county's overall fiscal year values are also trending toward last fiscal year’s numbers. Residential permits issued countywide in fiscal year 2019 so far have been valued at $341 million, compared to the value of all residential permits issued in all of FY 2018 at $459 million.

The most residential growth in December for the county’s municipalities took place in the town of Leland, where there were 33 residential permits issued and a reported value of nearly $10 million. The next highest were the towns of Oak Island and Carolina Shores, in which each saw a total of 20 permits issued.

However, the next highest value in residential permits in December was St. James at about $7.5 million. St. James had 17 residential permits issued in December. Oak Island's permits had a value of $5.7 million that same month, while Carolina Shores' permits were valued at $4.5 million.

A total of 94 residential permits were issued in unincorporated Brunswick County, and that value was nearly $20 million in December.

In commercial permits, December saw 43 permits countywide, up from 21 permits in December 2017, about a 105 percent increase, according to the report. The value of commercial construction increased as well, from $6.5 million in December 2017 to nearly $16 million this past December.

This fiscal year’s commercial permits have totaled $63 million in value countywide. The value of the permits in FY 2018 reached nearly $134 million, according to the report.

In municipal commercial growth, the town of Shallotte was reportedly the busiest with 20 commercial permits issued in December, and a value at nearly $8 million. The next highest was reported in Leland, where there were six commercial permits that month. According to the report, the value of those permits was not available at the time of its publication.

There were 16 commercial permits issued in December in unincorporated Brunswick County valued at nearly $8 million.

Brunswick County's residential and commercial permits are released at the end of each month. Click here for the latest reports.